Willie has gained a lot of perspective since the cerebral booster was implemented. Willie has been able to think things through much more clearly than before.

Willie is bored.

<<Listen, there's four of us here, and Tubesnake all by himself over by that garage. That doesn't make sense to me. If there's gotta be a chase, there ain't nobody can chase better than I can. I'm going to go join Tubesnake. You folks can handle all the talking and negotiation here. >>

He summons his bike to come back to the tower.

It's always a little tense waiting on the bike to come back. In principle it's a simple operation, with GridGuide doing as much work as the bike's own pilot to keep it out of trouble. But an irate pedestrian or an unfortunate fender bender and the thing is stuck like a turtle on its back. Though with the anti-theft system it wouldn't be as defenseless as a turtle. This time it arrives. Since he's already on the first floor, Willie would easily be able to get out there to meet it before it has to park in front people that, judging by the pawn shop window, might be willing to try and rip off any part that has a loose enough bolt.

The data search manages to get back before the bike gets to Willie. Paul is treated to a few public social media posts featuring Steve McCleary. Seems he was quite proud of getting certified and a job as crane operator on the nearby docks. Still a relatively high paying and high consequence job even with all the software assistance, or as much because of them. Someone like Lenny or Angel could really screw things up on a whim and would have reason to try and get something headed the wrong direction. There's a sequence of pics showing steps of him fixing up a 2040 Camero. There's also some public notes of him getting married not long after. That was a decade ago. There are some pictures of his kids in various activities. With Mrs. McCleary seeming to stand a little further off in each subsequent public photo. The rest of his stuff is set to private.

At Willie's announcement, he shifts more to the real world, leaving Angel to handle the matrix, though keeping his persona in the camera node.

He shifts to stand closer to Selina. He also starts looking around. That doesn't make him feel much better as the helmet is drawing attention, so he has the uncomfortable sensation of being looked at.

Willie waits for his bike to arrive, and then scoots over to where Tubesnake has parked. He coasts the last bit to reduce the noise of his arrival. Parking behind the van, and warning Tubesnake first, <<I'm here.>> he gets in on the passenger side.

"So, any action yet?"

Bongo confers with Selina before entering. "How should we approach this inquiry?"

(OOC: In principle, Paul would have some time to try and social engineer good 'ol Steve McCleary. But if he'll forgive me, I'll roll on. If you'd particularly like to, we could do something on a sidebar. Also if Selina and Bongo want to abstract some interactions they'd have 20 minutes to do so.)

Lenny is glad to have Bongo around, though he did find Willie more reassuring, especially around the Orks. He briefly considers calling one of their contacts from the 100th floor for an escort, but since they're working on the part of the job they aren't supposed to know about he discards the idea.

Though with him finally paying more attention to the world a thought starts to gnaw at his head. He mumbles to Selina and Bongo. "You know, there really aren't that many trolls here. "

But then he gets brought back to the matrix by a message form Angel.

<<Hey! I've kept hacking things but now I'm fighting some ice! I think I recognize this thing from the VTOL!>>


It occurs to Lenny that if she was hacking on the fly all this time, that could have been a heck of a lot of signals. But that isn't how you maximize stealth.

Lenny starts to formulate questions, but then an alert on his camera feed pops up as the doors start to rise.

He still has a tab open on the French translator, so he decides to spend a second looking up the French term for a dog that flushes birds out of the brush and shoots the team a message, so he can get in on that whole thing while watching the feed to see if the doors are actually going and if there might be other vehicles around to explain it.

<<Looks like Angel has been a little épagneul. I think she's spooked them, and they're running. Maybe. I don't know, al lthe doors are opening and I wouldn't think they'd normally do that.>>

Willie hasn't had time to get comfortable, but at least he isn't buckled up.

Paul is parked on the West side of the building where the drones had flown out (as I understand it, at least that makes the flyspy work less and keeps LOS on it if Paul wants to). The doors are on the opposite side where Blossom street used to be. They can't just tear out. They'll have to turn left(north) or right (south). North is the rest of Baltimore, South is out of the city over a bridge. If they turn again east is mostly just docks and water, west is the woods where the ditched drone and ghouls were, there are some little back roads cutting through it.


Lenny shoots a quick thought back to Angel <<Just don't get traced! You're still at the safehouse!>>

Then he ads, <<Also don't get killed in there>>

Willie sits up! "How are you at drivin'?" he says to Tubesnake.

<< Thanks, Lenny! Then we should hurry a bit. >>

Selina replies to Bongo: "Honestly, not entirely sure. We want some information from the pawn shop, but they mostly want money. So, probably offer them some?
Either way, we can still talk to them, when we are back. Let's see what this whole drone pursuit leads us to. Let's get into the car!"

She also sends Fiona ahead to Paul and Willie, so there is someone around to help them on the astral side, if necessary.
She will remain in cover mostly and keep her distance from their targets, though, in case someone spots her on the astral.

"OK," says Bongo. "Let's go." He leads the crew to his Range Rover, they pile in, and off they go.

<<@Full Team: The rest of us decided to join your party. Be there soon.>>

Tubesnake pokes his head out on Bongo's arrival.

""Action? Not just yet. I have a bit of a maybe-contact with a guy up on the uptown level. Pretty obvious union man, and I confirmed with a data search. I have the layout of exterior doors and freight transport inside this building, so I can get that to everybody. What's the plan, if you have one? I could make up plausible excuses to show up, even if I just look like a customer looking for a workshop.""

Willie chuckles. "Wasn't too long ago nobody ever asked me about plans. They just pointed me and I drove or shot. An upgraded brain helps me out these days. Bongo and that bunch are coming in from the north and could catch them if they go that way. We have the other direction and the river bridge to cut them off on our side.

"This could take some spiffy driving. You wanna let me take the wheel in case we have to do some rapid response?"

(OOC: Posting locations here to not muddle the chat with koekepan in ooc;

https://maps.app.goo.gl/xvWcZYd6gf2uQ23L7

They're about to pop out from the ramp where blossom street used to be onto curtis. There's a building in that lot on the end of curtis street. Lenny controls a camera there watching the four entrance/exit doors.

We're playing with time a little bit with Paul talking. But there isn't much notice between them opening and vehicles rolling out.

Willie and Paul are on the other side of the building, where the drones had flown out from:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/WNLJqM4u6E1oxPs4A


The Pennington Ave/173 bridge is the only easy way south until you've gone a fair distance west, and going west requires dirt roads through the forest with the ghouls where the drone was, unless you've already gone North a ways.

The rest of the team is about 20 minutes north of there. An eternity in combat turns. But if you could track them somehow, you could plan to intercept them. I haven't messed with the SR rules for chases in a long time, but I remember that they abstract it greatly. That's if it comes to that.

Willie figures there might be a chase in the offing. He steps out of the van and comes around to the driver side. "Let me drive. It's what I do. " He imposes his bulk into the driver seat, kind of muscling Tubesnake over... gently.

<<OK. Lenny's got eyes on the exits from the building. Bongo, Lenny and Selina are coming down from the north. If anybody bolts from the building we can coordinate our vehicles to run them down. Selina has an ace in the hole with her friend Fiona who can keep up with them no matter what. If nobody leaves before the north three get here, we can figure out entry plans. That work for all of you?>>

While the team has swung into action, it hasn't been all that many seconds since Lenny noticed the doors going up, and barely over a minute since Angel started fighting in the matrix.

Still, Willie is...quick with getting into the drivers seat, so he's getting settled as lights illuminate the doors as two vehicles come down the ramp. Lenny relays this to the team. <<Ok, we've got a sporty looking car coming out first ...and it's followed by an SUV. >>

Lenny isn't sure of the make and model, but shoots images of Ares vehicles to the team (OOC: Ares branded versions of the Shin-Hyung and Rover 2068 from Arsenal, the higher clearance Ares MK3 and bulkier-looking Humvee civic, but stat wise the same and both black with tinted windows. )

A moment later he shoots a message. <<They're going south! They're going to be out of the field of the camera in a second!>>

(OOC: Paul's van is a GMC Hermes, I believe it's stock as far as driving goes. Fiona would be able to arrive fairly quickly. It mostly it depends on how stealthy she tries to be and also how well a caster can help a spirit with directions. There's no astral GPS. It's about six miles as the crow flies. She might be able to remember where the drone was, head there, and then head east to get close. )

"The game is afoot!" shouts Willie. Who knows where he heard that? He lays his SMG across his lap and has the driver's window roll down as he starts the van south along Pennington. He hopes to head off the two vehicles wherever they try to turn west to get to Pennington and the bridge. It's gonna be either Birch or Aspen.

"Got any drones can help?" he asks Tubesnake.

(OOC: It feels weird RPing Tubesnake, especially unless Koekepan gives permission. But also because Lenny and Angel were mostly just character concepts I could play to. In any case he should still hold up his end of the run. He doesn't have assault drones exactly, but he could get a rifle with legs up on the roof as a sort of turret if Willie would like.

As for the vehicle moving, I think the way to works is you get to make one vehicle test to go faster as part of the one complex action you spend to control the vehicle. I don't think additional initiative passes let you take the test again to gain further distance. If you roll really hot remember you're bounded by speed, though you can go over just with some risk, probably another vehicle test. With his extra IP, I'd like Willie take another vehicle test to try and whip the van around to get going south instead of north more rapidly. )

Willies Eyes take on a wide, slightly crazed, gleeful glare. "Let's make this pig squeal!" He whips the van around in a tight, 180 skid from a start, laying some rubber on the asphalt.



The back end swings around and hardly lays any rubber. Willie is proud of himself, but a little sad there wasn't more noise.

He guns the engine with a feathering of the gas pedal to get as much acceleration out of the van as he can, not wasting energy on spinning tires.



The front end rises a bit, but the van bucks forward like a racehorse. Willie's plan is to head them off at whatever road they pick to turn west to catch Pennington and the bridge. If at Birch, the likeliest, he pulls up there. If they try something stupid like breaking through a fence at Aspen or at the end of Curtis, he'll keep pace and block them there. Wherever he blocks them, he will grab the SMG and brace it on the door frame through the open window and let them drive right into his bullets.

Much like Angel had, many people figure that Shadowrunners are either driving flashy vehicles to start or they have sleeper cars that are trying to blend in. Sleeper car clips are still popular on the matrix. People love watching a couple Westwind 3000s revving their engines and racing on a highway, and then all of a sudden a Jackrabbit, that looks stock, lifts up its front end as massive hidden horsepower lets it blow past the supercars.

Any hopes Willie had on that count start evaporating as he can feel the weakness in the Hermes acceleration. He probably wouldn't even have been able to pull off the trick if Tubesnake didn't have so much weight in the back to whip around.

Tubesnake has the grippy softbodies help his rifle drone to the hatch on the top while he tries to keep his tools and drones from flying around as internal projectiles.

The one consolation Willie gets as he drives with the pedal all the way to the floor is a shocked pedestrian looking at the humble delivery van whipping around and tearing off with his mouth open.

Luckily He's closer to he bridge than they are, and he's able to pull off the whipping trick again where a couple semi's had parked on opposite sides of birch street, with the van going sideways it effectively blocks of the road as he sees the headlights approaching.

The other team could have tried to ram, but that would bring them to a stop. The sporty MK3 in front pulls off a similar move to turn around and head back the way they came. Much less impressive when done in a sports car than a van. The SUV further back starts working on a three point turn. If they're armed, they aren't shooting yet. Though this isn't a Z zone where cops won't come if Panicbuttons start going off.

But even with his skill, Willie isn't sure how well an extended chase with this van would go, but at least they can't take the bridge.

Paul shoots Willie a message that he's got a flyspy high in the air above the building. He'll be able to keep tabs on them for a while, but the bug drone is not made for speed.

(OOC: See calculations and dice in OOC post #1147)

The targets are bugging out, but Willie manages to head them off before they can get to the bridge. They turn to head the other direction. "No way I can catch them in this thing," he thinks. "Gotta slow them down."

His SMG ready, Willie lets loose a full burst into the driver's side rear tire. Hard to speed up with no rubber on one side.

As the car had spun around, the driviers side rear tire is exposed and Willie manages to get his shot while the car isn't moving at high speed. Not the most on target shooting Willie has ever performed, but there's a quality in quantity.

As the car starts to pull away, there is a screech as the remaining bolts holding the tire on give way and the top of the tire hits the frame of the car as the rear bumper scrapes on the pavement. A moment later a hand with a SMG pokes over the top of the car and sends a burst towards the van. It's a very awkward shot, but the van is a stationary target and rounds manage to plunk into the side of the Van.

Tubesnake seems more upset than the van seems damaged (though, surprisingly, a few boxes of damage). The sports car is in a much trickier spot. It seems to be able to sort of drag itself along like that, but that isn't going to be very viable at any speed or distance. But (at least in the literal second before his next pass, during which lets say the vehicle lurches five meters ahead), it doesn't appear as if they want to immediately stop or get out with Willie right there.

"Don't worry, Tubesnake, it's just cosmetic!"

The sport car is crippled, now to slow the van. Willie takes time to zoom his vision in on that bit of a tire showing around the sport car. He fires a burst at the tire, hoping, no planning to do the same to this vehicle.

(OOC: see OOC post for calculation and dice roll.)

The reinforcement of the SUV tire keeps it attached to the car, but the plastic is shredded as Bongo lines up a parade of bullets, hitting the tire as it turns. Chuncks of plastic tearing off. Again, the vehicle manages to not crash, they seem pretty good at that.

While the sports car is in the way, Willie could see that the rear door of the SUV as open, and hear the revving of engines. The VTOL pops up over the spots car, but a round from the top of the van hits its armor and it dips back down trying to maintain control. (OOC: I really really thought that thing would shred the engine of the van in one go and was deciding if it would use the guns or grenade launcher, but tubesnakes and his drone managed to roll one hit and it rolled a critical glitch on its defense, so it needs to deal with that. Willie could get a shot on it with cover penalties as the sports car has to start maneuvering around it. )

In addition to the arrival of the familair drone out of the back of the SUV. A small humanoid storm cloud forms over the vehicles, energy crackles around its form, but for this brief moment, it has to focus on establishing its form in the material plane.

(OOC: I shot a PM to Thanee that we can eschew the navigation rolls since that would be a lot easier for Fiona to spot.)

Thoughts race through Quick Willie's mind as he figures what would be the next thing to do. They pile on top of each other in a flurry of ideas.

Cripple the Westwind more? Finish off the drone? The Westwind is trying to get out of my line of sight to the van. Score! Damn! Magic reinforcements for them. Is ours anywhere near? This could hurt. This SMG is not likely to do much to a tough spirit. Hmm. I wonder what we could get for a slightly damaged Westwind. Would the Homeboyz have a connection for a quick sale?

Looking around, Fiona spots an astral figure in the distance. It wasn't easy to match the area to where the pursuit was happening, even with having seen a map previously. But the spirit is a dead giveaway. It's materializing into the physical world, ready to strike. That must be it. The erratically moving shadows down on the streets also make it clear. She has finally found them.

Still far enough away, that the spirit might not immediately recognize her as a threat, Fiona makes use of her spellcasting ability to hopefully stop that one from doing what it was tasked to do.

(OOC: Just to avoid confusion. Fiona didn't see the spirit rise out of the vehicle. She spotted it materializing in the air, not it's path to get there. Also I'm glad I rechecked the rules. I really thought spirits could get counterspelling, but I guess not. )

On the asral the stunbolt lights the shadows as he high mana concentration of the high force spell makes it glow like lightning, clearly disrupting the aura of the spirit. It's eyes flick out toward Fiona, but the damage seems to have slowed its response just a hair, and materializing had kept it busy enough to not be able to immediately respond.

(OOC: Thanks to damage on the drone and spirit, Willie gets to go first and then Fiona in IP3. ).

Willie's concern about the materializing spirit is assuaged to some degree when he sees a quiver and shift in its shape as it forms a material presence. "All right! Cavalry is here!"

He shifts his aim from the SUV's splintered rear tire to the drone hovering shakily nearby. It's bristling weapons make it a strong threat. Better take it out.



There's only 8 bullets left in this magazine so Willie drops the partial load magazine and replaces it with a full magazine of 30 bullets.

With the spirit now ready to take action in the physical world, Fiona has one more shot at disrupting its current form and sending it back to the metaplanes. Since her first spell was successful, she knows that the spirit is at the brink of being disrupted, already, so she can take it down a notch this time, not risking actual injury to herself.

Hurling another spell at the spirit, this will hopefully do the job.

(OOC: The garbage rolls for the drone continue. )

Despite attempting defensive maneuvers and using the car as cover, Willie is able to walk enough rounds into the drones carapace to roll it over, causing it to crash. The car is desperate to get some motion and simply hits the smaller drone on the ground, sending it spinning along the pavement onto the sidewalk.

Willie also gets the gratification of seeing the spirits "eyes" rolling back in it's billowing head and it dematerializes.

In the astral another spirit, smaller than the first, rushes into Fiona, it came out of the same building the cars left from, taking advantages of the rapid speeds in the astral in it's charge (4 hits, but I think only 2S damage for astral combat, I don't believe spirit of air powers work in the astral. )

A stunbolt also flies at Fiona (OOC: but she'd have to make a perception test lets say 2 hits at -2 to see exactly where it came from, the other mage is being cautious, perhaps fearing Fiona's summoner is somewhere in the astral. But spells are a little hard to hide, so not a hard roll despite the distraction 4 hits but only force 5).

Despite the heavy damage the car and SUV are making good headway towards the intersection, though they don't get out of it this IP. Definitely more control than should be expected, though Willie doubts the cars could manage at all if he could pull off his trick again, and they aren't going to be able to get up to speed in any case. He isn't even sure their frames are going to last very long. It isn't smart to drive like that, but they seem plenty spooked.

Looks like there is a bit more going on in astral space. As the spirit charges her, and she gets ready to defend herself, Fiona notices a spell racing towards her as well.



The summoner probably not happy about the disruption of the spirit. The second spirit reaches her immediately, distance is not much of an issue if you are moving as fast as a thought.



At pretty much the same time, the spell reaches her. She really should find some cover from that mage.